A United Nations independent international commission of inquiry has concluded that Israel continues to commit genocide by deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza. The report, released on Tuesday, examined violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war and found that approximately 30% of those killed by Israeli forces have been children.
Genocidal Intent and Deliberate Targeting
The commission stated that Palestinian children were deliberately targeted and killed during the war, including after a ceasefire came into effect in October 2025. This pattern, according to the commission, establishes genocidal intent by Israeli authorities and security forces to destroy the Palestinian group, in whole or in part, in Gaza.
“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, the commission’s chair, in a statement accompanying the report. He added that by targeting children, Israel is undermining the capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and determine their future.
Weapons and Conditions Harming Children
The commission noted that Israeli forces continued to use high-payload munitions and weapons with widespread effects in densely populated residential areas, despite mounting child casualties. This indicates that such attacks, which killed children in high numbers, were intentional. The commission believes children were targeted collectively because Israeli security forces considered the civilian population as a whole to be associated with Hamas and other armed groups.
Conditions imposed by Israel on Gaza, including widespread attacks, repeated displacement, and starvation caused by its blockade of aid, food, and medicine, severely harmed children’s health and development, resulting in preventable deaths and trauma. The inquiry also found that attacks on healthcare and reproductive facilities affected newborns’ survival and led to an increase in miscarriages. Nearly all children in Gaza are reported to be in need of psychological support.
Previous Findings and International Context
A previous report by the commission in September found that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts. Netanyahu is separately wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes. A significant body of research by legal and rights experts, including UN investigators, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and genocide scholars worldwide, has concluded that Israel is intent on destroying Palestinians.
Genocide, defined by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, includes acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group. The commission’s findings align with this definition.
Israeli Response and Allegations
The Israeli mission in Geneva rejected the commission’s “libellous sham.” Israel has fought hard against allegations of genocide while receiving critical diplomatic support from allies, including the US and the UK. Israel’s rebuttal accused Hamas of systematically diverting humanitarian aid and fuel for hospitals. Hamas has rejected such accusations, while Israel has been accused of blocking aid and fuel from reaching Gaza.
Violations in the West Bank
The report also focused on the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where the commission found a sharp increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children. It documented evidence of torture, including sexual and gender-based violence, during mass arrests and detention. Palestinian children, especially boys, were subjected to systemic mistreatment in detention, including forced stripping, beatings, and food deprivation. The commission concluded that this treatment constitutes crimes against humanity of torture and other inhumane acts causing great suffering or serious injury.
Reuters contributed to this report.
